Greenville County nurses working outside hospitals share how their roles have changed after COVID-19

Greenville County nurses working outside hospitals share how their roles have changed after COVID-19

National Nurses Day calls attention to healthcare workers working to keep community safe

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Updated: 6:05 PM EDT May 6, 2020

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GREENVILLE WITH THEIR MESSAGE TO THE COMMUNITY. >> NATIONAL NURSES DAY ISN'T JUST FOR NURSES WORKING INSIDE THE HOSPITAL. IT IS ALSO FOR ANY HEALTHCARE WORKERS WHO ARE WORKING TO MAKE SURE THE COMMUNITY STAYS SAFE AT THIS TIME. I SPOKE TO TWO UPSTATE NURSES. HERE IS THEIR MESSAGE. >> SCHOOL NURSE VICKERY PRICE TAKES TEMPERATURES AND MONITORS THE HEALTH OF BUS DRIVERS AND OTHERS MAKING THE 10,000 TAKE HOME MEALS FOR GREENVILLE COUNTY STUDENTS WHO ARE AT HOME EX-LEARNING TO STAY SAFE FROM COVID-19. >> WE CAN HELP IN A LOT OF WAYS SO BEING HERE HELPI STUDENT NUTRITION AND TRANSPORTATION FOR THE SCHOOL DISTRICT IS A DIFFERENT WAY OF NURSING. >> HOSPICE NURSE KAREN ZIMMER WEARS A MASK AND SANITIZES REGULARLY TO HELP HER HOSPICE PATIENTS STAY SAFE. >> MADE ME HAVE TO BE MORE AWARE OF WHAT I'M DOING TO PROTECT THEM BECAUSE THEY ARE ALREA COMPROMISED. >> WE FEEL SAFE BECAUSE SHE COMES IN WITH THE SANITIZER AND EVERYTHING SHE DOES. >> ZIMMER CARESSER CARLOS HORN WHO HAS COLIN CANCER AND COPD. JURISDICTION I HAVE BEEN WITH NURSES AN DOCTORSOR 2 1/2 YEARS AND I HAVE NEVER HAD TROUBLE WITH NONE OF THEM. THEY HAVE BEEN WONDERFUL ALL T B WAY THROUGH. I LOVE EVERYONE OF THEM. >> THEY SAY THEY DIDN'T BECOME NURSES FOR ANY ATTENTION OR PRAISE BUT THEY AND THEIR HEALTHCARE COLLEAGUES ALWAYS APPRECIATE A THANK YOU ESPECIALLY THIS NATIONAL NURSES DAY. >> I THINK THAT WE ARE ALL VERY TI TIRED, WE ARE ALL VER MENTALLY ANGUISHED AND ALWAYS WONDERING WHAT WE ARE GOING TO TAKE HOME TO OUR FAMILIES AND I THINK WE JUST NEED T TAP THAT OUR INNER SELVES AND REMEMBER WHERE WE WENT INT NURSING. >> IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO THANK A NURSE GO TO THE WYF 4 FACEBOOK PACKAGE WE HAVE A ROLLING COMMENT CHAIN. IF YOU TAKE A PICTURE WITH YOUR MESSAGE OR RIGHT SOME BIT OF SUPPORT SOMETHING YOU WANT THE NURSES AND HEALTHCARE WORKERS IN THE UPSTATE IN OUR STATE AN ACROSS OUR COUNTRY TO KNOW TODAY

Not all nurses are fighting COVID-19 from a hospital. School nurse Vickie Price takes temperatures and monitors the health of the bus drivers and other workers making the 10 thousand take-home meals each day for Greenville County Students, who are at home e-learning to stay safe from COVID-19.“We can help out in a lot of different ways, so being here helping food and nutrition and transportation for the school district it is a different way of nursing,” said Price. Meanwhile, hospice nurse Karen Zimmer wears a mask and sanitizes regularly to keep her hospice patients safe. “It’s made me have to be more aware of what I’m doing personally protect to protect them, because they’re already compromised,” said Zimmer. Zimmer cares for Carlous Horne, who has stage 4 colon cancer and COPD. “I’ve been with nurses and doctors for 2 1/2 years, and I’ve never had trouble with none of them. They’ve been wonderful all the way through - I love everyone of them just like my family,” Horne said.“We feel completely safe, because when she (Zimmer) comes in with the sanitizer...everything she does,” adds Carlous’ wife, Carol. Zimmer and Price tell WYFF4 they didn’t become nurses for any kind of attention or praise, but they and their healthcare colleagues always appreciate a thank you - especially this national nurses day. “I think we’re all very tired we’re all very mentally anguished, we’re always wondering what we’re going to take home to our families, and I think we just need to tap into our inner selves- and remember why we all went into nursing,” said Zimmer. Additional coronavirus resources: Tracking COVID-19 curve of cases, deaths in the Carolinas, Georgia Latest update on coronavirus cases, latest headlines in Carolinas, Georgia COVID-19 maps of Carolinas, Georgia: Latest coronavirus cases by county Sign up for WYFF News 4 coronavirus daily newsletter

GREENVILLE, S.C. —

Not all nurses are fighting COVID-19 from a hospital.

School nurse Vickie Price takes temperatures and monitors the health of the bus drivers and other workers making the 10 thousand take-home meals each day for Greenville County Students, who are at home e-learning to stay safe from COVID-19.

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“We can help out in a lot of different ways, so being here helping food and nutrition and transportation for the school district it is a different way of nursing,” said Price.

“It’s made me have to be more aware of what I’m doing personally protect to protect them, because they’re already compromised,” said Zimmer.

Zimmer cares for Carlous Horne, who has stage 4 colon cancer and COPD.

“I’ve been with nurses and doctors for 2 1/2 years, and I’ve never had trouble with none of them. They’ve been wonderful all the way through - I love everyone of them just like my family,” Horne said.

“We feel completely safe, because when she (Zimmer) comes in with the sanitizer...everything she does,” adds Carlous’ wife, Carol.

Zimmer and Price tell WYFF4 they didn’t become nurses for any kind of attention or praise, but they and their healthcare colleagues always appreciate a thank you - especially this national nurses day.

“I think we’re all very tired we’re all very mentally anguished, we’re always wondering what we’re going to take home to our families, and I think we just need to tap into our inner selves- and remember why we all went into nursing,” said Zimmer.